Blessing of the Animals

Blessing of the Animals, Sunday, October 4 at the 10:00 Service in the New Chapel. All Pets are Welcomed!

The Blessing of the Animals is a ceremony associated with the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi to honor the patron saint of animals, and celebrate the relationship between humans and God’s creatures. The event celebrates animals, providing them with comfort, companionship, and happiness. People bring their pets to be blessed by a clergy member, to pray for their health and well-being. The tradition reflects Saint Francis’s deep love and respect for all of God’s creation. Each animal is often individually blessed, with prayers asking for health, protection, and long life. It’s a way to express gratitude for the companionship and love that pets provide. The tradition encourages kindness, compassion, and care for all creatures, in line with Saint Francis’s example.

Saint Francis was a 13th-century friar and preacher who is known for his love of nature, animals, and all of God’s creation. He wrote the “Canticle of the Creatures,” a poem praising God through the elements and creatures of the world.

“The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth and the sea, and have a part in human life.
We, therefore, invoke God’s blessing on these animals. over all the creatures of the earth.”  Francis of Assisi